The present invention relates to photonics chips and, more specifically, to waveguide structures and methods of fabricating waveguide structures.
Photonic chips integrate optical components and electronic components into a single chip. Photonic chips are capable of being used in many applications and many systems including, but not limited to, data communication systems and data computation systems. The electronic components may include, for example, field-effect transistors, and the optical components may include waveguides. Layout area, cost, and operational overhead may be reduced by including both types of components on a single photonics chip.
On-chip communication and sensing may rely on transferring electromagnetic radiation through silicon waveguides in the mid-infrared wavelength range of 3 microns (μm) to 8 μm. The transparency window of silicon, when used as a waveguide material, extends to approximately 8 μm. However, silicon waveguides may experience signal loss because the silicon dioxide layer cladding the waveguide strongly absorbs electromagnetic radiation starting at a wavelength of 3.5 μm in the mid-infrared wavelength range.
Improved waveguide structures and methods of fabricating waveguide structures are needed.